Press Kit
Courtney Lewis is the Conductor and Founding Music Director of Discovery Ensemble, the critically acclaimed Boston chamber orchestra known for bringing new and unusual repertoire to established concert audiences. The ensemble also has the unique additional mission of introducing classical music to inner-city school children.
In May 2009, Osmo Vänskä appointed Courtney as Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. Now splitting his time between Boston and Minneapolis, Lewis has just been elevated to Associate Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra.
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1984, Courtney received his musical education at the University of Cambridge, where he studied composition with Robin Holloway and clarinet with Dame Thea King. He graduated at the top of his class with starred first class honors. After completing a master's degree with a focus on the late music of György Ligeti, he attended the Royal Northern College of Music where his teachers included Sir Mark Elder and Clark Rundell.
From 2007 to 2009 Lewis was the Zander Fellow in Conducting with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to his work with the Philharmonic, he assisted Benjamin Zander with the London Philharmonia, Toronto Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony and the Símon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.
In November 2008 he made his American debut with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in a series of five concerts, and spent several weeks assisting David Robertson, Marc Albrecht and Yan Pascal Tortelier.
In recent seasons he has also worked with the BBC Philharmonic, the Tulsa and Lexington Symphonies, the Liverpool Mozart Orchestras and smaller groups including the Nash Ensemble and the Alban Berg Ensemble.
Courtney Lewis is represented by Opus 3 Artists.
